2025 Favourite Trail Race Shoe Introduction
It is that time of year again when we round up our favourites of the year. The miles have been run, the fun has been had and the decisions have been made. Here, our trail team rounds up their 2025 trail race shoe favourites. For these articles, the testers are given free reign to decide on the shoe they want to celebrate. They have had the opportunity to run a lot of miles in a selection of shoes. You have probably read the reviews, now it is time to say which is the cream that rose to the top.
Raoul’s 2025 Favourite Trail Race Shoe – On Cloudultra Pro
The Cloudultra Pro surprised me in all the right ways during my time with it and just writing this makes me want to head out and run in them today. The running shoe market is so competitive right now and a shoe of this price should be exceptional and the Cloudultra Pro is truly exceptional.
This shoe makes me feel faster than I am and makes me run further than I should, all without a care in the world. The fit is confidence-inspiring and the midsole leaves a smile from ear to ear every time we head out together. I was skeptical about the stability but reality shone bright like a diamond. Every day can be race day with the Cloudultra Pro.
On put a ton of work into this shoe and it is us who benefit from this ‘ground up’ approach to a trail racer. The team at On put together a stable, dynamic shoe that begs you to run just a little faster with a shoe that rewards in almost all arenas. Chapeau!
Sure, I don’t venture too off-piste in these and I would not take them where there was a lot of hiking involved. That small caveat does nothing to change my mind about this shoe. I absolutely love it.
On, as a brand, was not on my list of race day shoes at the start of 2025 but now I will always be watching what they do next in their trail lineup.
Esther’s 2025 Favourite Trail Race Shoe – norda 005
Newly born, you tumbled out of the box and into my arms. Your tag read: “Norda 005.” Welcome. I think? I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure we’d get along. Your older 001 sister clung to me for ages, shredded my ankles, but I grew to love her as my own. She’s part of the family now.
And then there was you: light, white, bright-eyed. I slipped you on and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. That wraparound fit, a tight soft hold in the midfoot and roomy for toes up front, it felt unlike anything I’d known. Your weight shattered every old belief that trail shoes must be bricks. You were so light I’d forget you were there, so unassuming I’d wear you to work on long teaching days, smart enough for class and eager enough for a cheeky lunchtime speed session. Nobody ever knew they were trail super shoes. That 100 percent Arnitel midsole bounce rivaled the kids’ garden trampoline.
You gave life to my tired-leg teaching days and fire to my race days. We raced three times this year: a trail marathon, a vertical kilometre, and a rolling alpine favourite. Each time the choice was easy.
I still remember my first sighting of you in the Northern French Alps. A runner bounding down a VK slope in a blur of white. There was a little camaraderie in that moment. He knew the secret. Many others swore you were street shoes.
I recall one runner yelling behind me, “those city shoes are no fit for this rugged course, sis!” I just smiled. You were discrete yet brilliant. That same race, you glued my feet to a root-laced descent like Batman to a wall. Someone had to be rescued at the bottom after slipping all the way down. I was floored. How did I stick every step with just 3.5 millimetre lugs down that dust bomb? Vibram Elite magic.
Almost 300km later, I know you by heart, 005. There’s still so much life loaded for most races that aren’t too muddy. And for city touring in style, obvs.
